CMF Headphone Pro vs. Apple AirPods Max
Which headphone should you buy?
Apple’s AirPods Max have been the heavyweight in the premium headphone arena since their debut in 2020, refined in 2024 with new colours and a USB-C port. It's the go-to for Apple loyalists who want plush design, polished sound, and seamless integration across iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
But just yesterday, CMF by Nothing — the now-independent sub-brand of Nothing — has just launched its first over-ear headphones, the CMF Headphone Pro. With a modular design, customizable cushions, and a staggering battery promise, it's arriving with a mission to disrupt the status quo.
So, is Apple’s premium pedigree worth the price, or does CMF’s fresh, playful take deliver better value? Let’s break it down.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
/1. Design
Apple’s AirPods Max are unmistakably elegant, combining anodised aluminium ear cups, a stainless steel frame, and a breathable knit mesh canopy designed to distribute weight evenly and reduce pressure. The ear cushions are made from acoustically engineered memory foam that attaches magnetically, allowing them to be easily swapped.
Apple offers five sleek colours (Blue, Orange, Purple, Midnight, and Starlight), refreshed in 2024. And at 385 grams, it carries noticeable heft.
The CMF Headphone Pro goes in a completely different direction. With a lightweight 268g frame, it's built for long listening sessions without fatigue. Their standout feature is a modular design, making it easy to replace or customise parts like the ear cushions.
CMF sells the headphones in Light Green, Light Grey, and Dark Grey, with the option to mix and match cushions, even wearing different colours on each ear. The ear cushions are soft and swappable, like Apple’s, but at a fraction of the cost.
Winner: CMF Headphone Pro: Apple's design looks and feels more premium, but CMF’s modular approach, lighter build, and playful customization are far more practical for everyday use.
/2. Sound Quality
The AirPods Max house 40mm Apple-designed dynamic drivers and a dual neodymium ring magnet motor, offering powerful bass, accurate mids, and sharp highs. It also uses two Apple H1 chips, enabling computational audio with adaptive EQ, ensuring the sound adjusts in real time to your ears and environment.
Simply put, their audio tuning is among the best in the market, especially for Apple users who benefit from seamless integration with features like Spatial Audio.
The CMF Headphone Pro holds its own remarkably well for its price. It features 40mm drivers with nickel-coated diaphragms, 16.5mm copper coils, and a precision bass duct for depth and clarity.
It also introduces an Energy Slider for tuning bass and treble manually, plus AI-powered sound personalisation that analyses your ear shape for tailored output. And with LDAC support and double Hi-Res certification (wired and wireless), it's a serious challenger for detailed sound at this price point.
Winner: AirPods Max: The CMF punches way above its price, but Apple’s balance, tuning, and computational audio are simply more refined.
/3. Active Noise Cancellation
Apple’s AirPods Max set the standard with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) powered by three outward-facing and one inward-facing microphone per earcup. The system continuously adapts to your environment, cutting out everything from subway rumble to coffee shop chatter.
It also features Transparency Mode for when you want outside sounds to pass through naturally, and Adaptive EQ ensures the sound remains consistent despite cushion fit or movement.
The CMF Headphone Pro also brings serious ANC to the table, especially considering its cost. With hybrid ANC reducing up to 40dB, and five microphones working to adapt noise cancellation dynamically, it's more capable than most budget and mid-tier headphones.
Add in spatial audio support, and it punches way above its weight, though Apple’s real-time adaptation remains superior.
Winner: AirPods Max: CMF impresses, but Apple’s ANC system is still the more polished and effective.
/4. Smart Features
The AirPods Max is more than headphones; it's an extension of Apple’s ecosystem. Features like instant pairing, automatic device switching, spatial audio with head tracking, and Siri integration make them seamless if you’re in Apple’s world. It also uses Bluetooth 5.0, and even has optical sensors to detect when you’re wearing them, auto-pausing and resuming playback.
CMF takes a different route with a focus on physical controls and customisation. It includes a rotating dial for playback, volume, and ANC adjustments, as well as the Energy Slider for EQ fine-tuning. With Bluetooth 5.4 multipoint connectivity, Google Fast Pair, and Microsoft Swift Pair, it's also more universally flexible. Plus, the modular design makes them easier to repair or refresh over time.
Winner: Tie: Apple wins for seamless ecosystem integration, while CMF nails practicality, customisation, and broader compatibility.
/5. Battery Life
Here’s where CMF Headphone Pro absolutely dominates. With up to 100 hours of playback (70 hours with LDAC, 50 hours with ANC enabled), it's among the longest-lasting headphones on the market. It also supports fast charging, giving 4 hours of playback from just a 5-minute top-up, and charges fully in 2 hours via USB-C.
The AirPods Max, by contrast, offer 20 hours of listening with ANC or Transparency Mode, which feels tiny compared to CMF. It does have quick charge (1.5 hours from a 5-minute charge) and comes with Apple’s Smart Case that puts them in ultra-low power mode, but even so, it falls far behind.
Winner: CMF Headphone Pro: It’s not even close.
/6. Price
This might be the most decisive factor. The AirPods Max retail for $549, firmly in the premium tier. Apple even sells standalone ear cushions for $69 per pair.
The CMF Headphone Pro is currently selling for $84, but the original price is $99. Replacement ear cushions cost $25, making personalisation affordable. At less than one-fifth the price of Apple’s flagship, the value proposition is staggering.
Winner: CMF Headphone Pro: Unless you live fully inside the Apple ecosystem and demand absolute best-in-class sound and ANC, the CMF is the smarter buy for nearly everyone else.
Final Thoughts
The AirPods Max remain the most luxurious over-ear headphones for Apple users, combining stunning design, impeccable ANC, and advanced audio features. But at over $500, it's a luxury purchase that only makes sense if you’re deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem.
The CMF Headphone Pro, meanwhile, offers a refreshing take on headphones with a modular design, insane battery life, and features that rival products many times their price. At just $84, it's easily the better value and a clear disruptor in the category.
Louis Eriakha
